Neil Gorsuch, CO 87

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"It may be fair to say that President Truman is responsible for my nomination and confirmation as a federal appellate judge. His memorial scholarship not only helped make the high price of law school manageable. It also reinforced my interst in public service by introducing me to so many other Scholars who have inspired and challenged me throughout my career....What an honor it is to be associated with a man whose chosen memorial isn't a block of marble or bronze, but a living assembly of some of the most remarkable and dedicated public servants in the United States." - Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals

Nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in May 2006, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, a 1987 Truman Scholar from Colorado, was confirmed in the United States Senate by unanimous voice vote.

Judge Gorsuch began his career as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justices Byron R. White and Anthony M. Kennedy, as well as to Judge David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He then entered private practice where he was a partner at the law firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, specializing in complex litigation.

Prior to his appointment to the Tenth Circuit, Judge Gorsuch served at the U.S. Department of Justice as Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General. There, he helped oversee the Department’s five civil litigation divisions along with eight other operating components of the agency. Judge Gorsuch is the recipient of the Edward J. Randolph Award for outstanding service to the Department of Justice, and of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation’s Stevens Award for outstanding public service in the field of law.

Each year, Judge Gorsuch is Chair and host of the Truman Scholar Selection Panel in Denver, which he describes as, "one of the moments I look forward to most every year. The passion and incredible achievements of these young people leaves me simply in awe, utterly rejuvenated, and optimistic for the future of our country."

Judge Gorsuch holds a doctoral degree in legal philosophy from Oxford University, where he studied as a Marshall scholar; a law degree from Harvard Law School, where he studied as a Harry S. Truman scholar; and an undergraduate degree from Columbia University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.